


Breathe In, Breathe Out

by realvibekiller127



Category: ATEEZ
Genre: ATEEZ - Freeform, Eating Disorder, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:41:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27518566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realvibekiller127/pseuds/realvibekiller127
Summary: Jongho thinks all that there is to him is his broken pieces.His members want to show him how wrong he is.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34





	Breathe In, Breathe Out

“How could you do this, Jongho?”

Yunho was angry, and he was hellbent on everyone in the dorm building knowing it.

His intense gaze held Jongo’s for a long moment before the youngest looked back down at the ground, shame welling up in his chest. Jongho curled into San’s warm embrace, shaking with fear and the weakness he’d grown accustomed to over the last few weeks.

“Answer me, Jongho! How could you do this to yourself? To the rest of us?”

Jongho was trembling by now, trying to bury himself deeper into San’s hold. He hated making any of his brothers mad, Yunho the most…

“Stop yelling at him, Yunho. That won’t solve the problem.”

Jongho knew Seonghwa’s soft tone and word choice was meant to soothe him, but it held the opposite effect in his fragile mind. Each word in the argument was like a painful jab to the maknae’s heart.

He deserved to be yelled at.

He was the problem.

He had ruined everything.

“You need to stop babying him, hyung! He isn’t a child anymore! He needs to grow up at some point, and learn to ask for help!” Yunho’s next angry outburst at Seonghwa startled Jongho, earning a small whine from him as San quietly hushed him.

“Shhhh, baby. It’s ok. Sannie hyung has you.”

Grow up.

Ask for help.

If only his Yunho-hyung could understand how hard that was…

Each thought rattled around Jongho’s brain, ricocheting with such force that he was developing a headache. He was also freezing, despite San’s warm embrace he was nestled in. He just wanted to go to sleep, and be able to forget this moment for the rest of his life.

But fate wouldn’t have that. Yunho and the rest of his brothers weren’t going to let up.

“What about Atiny, Jongho? How do you think they’ll feel?”

Jongho broke away from San’s embrace harshly, forcing himself to look up at Yunho. The older ignored the tear tracks dried on the maknae’s pale cheeks as he glared at him.

The next words spoken by Yunho hit Jongho like a truck.

“How do you think they’ll feel when they find out you’ve been starving yourself, Jongho?”

And that’s all it took for Choi Jongho to snap.

“Do you really think that sitting here and yelling at me will make me want to get help? You don’t know anything, and I hate you! I hate you, Yunho! You’re a horrible hyung, and I wish I didn’t know you! I wish I didn’t know any of you because you just wouldn’t understand!”

In Jongho’s weak daze, he jumped up on horribly unsteady feet from his spot beside San, shoving past all his concerned hyungs. His shoulder roughly bumped Yunho, but instead of causing his intended target to stumble, it took everything in Jongho’s weak body to stay upright. Hongjoong went to catch him, but the pissed off maknae pushed his leader’s helping hand away.

“Do not touch me. I don’t need any help. Leave me alone. I’m going to get ready for bed, and I don’t want an audience.”

The maknae wobbled on unsteady feet past the kitchen, down the hall, and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. He stumbled to the sink, grasping the shiny white porcelain so he could steady his double vision.

He had never felt like this before.

He turned the faucet on, splashing some cool water on his face, before glancing back up at his reflection. He knew what he was doing to himself wasn’t healthy, but in an odd sort of way he felt better about himself.

Getting rid of his imperfections made him perfect, something he never felt before.

He was determined to see this through, no matter what his hyungs thought.

He was the strong maknae after all.

He could do-

Jongho wobbled again, trying to hold on to the sink to keep himself up.

But it was no use.

His grip on the sink loosened as his knees buckled beneath him, Jongho slumping to the floor in a heap.

“Jongho! Jongho!”

“Open the door, Jongho! Please!”

Jongho couldn’t move, even if he wanted to. It was as if his limbs didn’t belong to him anymore, feeling like jello mixed with lead weights. He was aware of a dull ache in his knee and a terrible throbbing in his head. He felt something warm on his forehead, briefly wondering how the sink could have already been overflowing if he didn’t even remember stopping it up.

“Jongho! Please!”

“Let us help you!”

“Guys, move! I found the key!”

In his foggy mind, Jongho could just barely make out the calming tone of Hongjoong’s voice before the door was thrown open.

“Jongho!” Mingi’s deep voice was filled to the brim with panic.

“He’s dead!” San cried, no doubt holding onto Wooyoung for dear life.

He felt warm hands against his pale and flushed skin, trying their best to help him stay tethered to the present, but he was too far out at sea.

“No, he isn’t.” Hongjoong’s voice was calm and level, despite the situation as he quickly jumped into full leader mode. “Yeosang, you take Mingi, Wooyoung, and San to your room. Seonghwa, go call an ambulance. Yunho, help me make sure he stays still. We don’t know how hard he hit his head when he fainted, but he’s bleeding.”

Even though the youngest three put up their protest, they let Yeosang lead them to a bedroom at the end of the hall. Seonghwa pulled his phone out quickly dialing for help as Hongjoong motioned for Yunho, who seemed to be cemented in place, to do as he was told.

“Hurry up, Yunho! Get over whatever happened between you two earlier. Your younger brother needs you.”

Yunho snapped out of his trance, quickly running to take his spot at the maknae’s feet, earning a small whine of protest from the barely conscious young boy.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, baby. Let us help you. Let hyung help you like I should have from the start.” Yunho’s voice was chipped and broken, matching how the young boy had been feeling for the last few weeks. “I’m sorry. Just please be ok for us. Be ok for me.”

Out in the distance a siren could be heard, the seven oldest members praying for strength for their youngest brother.


End file.
